Smile for the Rogers Lake turtle cam

Sterlin Feeny of Lyme carries a 43-pound snapping turtle to a transport carrier Tuesday at Rogers Lake in Old Lyme as part of a research project that temporarily attaches cameras to turtles then releases them back into their habitat.

Sterlin Feeny of Lyme carries a 43-pound snapping turtle to a transport carrier Tuesday at Rogers Lake in Old Lyme as part of a research project that temporarily attaches cameras to turtles then releases them back into their habitat.

The cameras are programmed to capture six hours of video as part of a Tributary Mill research, conservation and education project. The cameras also are equipped with an automatic release and a tracking beacon to allow the researchers to recover them from the lake.

The Tributary Mill Conservancy, in conjunction with National Geographic, Mystic Aquarium and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, released a pair of snapping turtles into the lake Tuesday after affixing cameras to their backs.